If you have any experience of young children you will know that they love to lick things. And when I say ‘things’ I don’t mean ice lollies or candy canes. That would be far too sensible. I’m talking about the bottom of dirty shoes, the door handle to the grocery store bathrooms, or the pre-chewed gum stuck to the playground rubbish bin. My children are no exception. That is why I spend most of the winter months trying to find excellent sources of probiotics to repopulate my family’s recently emptied guts with good bacteria. And that is where this mango lime smoothie bowl comes in.
Good intestinal health is vital for a strong immune system. In fact, 70% of our immune system is located in our gut. The microbes in our large intestine carry out many crucial jobs, including fermenting the fiber we eat to produce helpful acids, producing Vitamin K, and keeping bad bacteria in check. That is why it is so important to keep your gut nicely populated with good bacteria. You might be wondering what this has to do with a delicious mango lime smoothie bowl. Well, the answer is… kefir.
Kefir is a fermented milk drink made with a yeast and bacterial starter called kefir ‘grains’. Several of the bacterial strains found in kefir have excellent probiotic properties. Probiotics are live microorganisms that bring about a response in the gut that is associated with health benefits. Kefir is an excellent source of these healthy microorganisms. Just make sure you buy the unsweetened version, otherwise there will be lots of added sugar. And an added bonus of kefir is that it is far more tolerable for people who are lactose intolerant because most of the lactose is broken down during the fermentation process.
I topped this smoothie bowl with Jamie Oliver’s amazing granola dust. It is a wonderfully healthy and versatile recipe featured in his new book, Everyday Super Food. You can find out how to make it by watching his video here.
- 1 cup fresh or frozen mango
- ¾ cup plain unsweetened kefir
- Juice of ½ lime
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 tbsp Jamie Oliver’s granola dust
- Fresh fruit for topping
- Put mango, kefir, lime juice, and honey in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour smoothie into a bowl.
- Top with granola dust and fruit.